According to the website of a certain well-known greetings card company, today is Eiffel Tower Day. So, to celebrate, here are some (hopefully) interesting facts about Paris’ most iconic attraction.

This Dame de Fer (Iron Lady) was named after its designer, Alexandre Gustave Eiffel. It stands in the Champ de Mars in Paris. (If you’re planning on visiting it, the closest metro stops are Champ de Mars and Bir Hakeim – you’re welcome!) It was completed in 1889, in time for the Exposition Universelle (World Fair) celebrations. It was constructed in wrought iron, and it took 60 tonnes of paint to cover the whole tower! It is 324 metres tall, meaning that in clear weather, you can see for around 40 miles! At the time it was built, it was the tallest structure in the world, but this record has since been broken. 72 names of notable Frenchmen are engraved on the tower, and this list of names has been the subject of criticism because no women are included on it.

These days, it is hard to mention Paris without conjuring images of the Eiffel Tower, which according to many films, is visible from every single apartment window in the city. It’s safe to say that it has become synonymous with the romantic image of the city.

However iconic the Eiffel tower may be nowadays, it was by no means universally popular when it was built. Many prominent Parisians even went so far as to sign a document protesting the tower’s construction, and bemoaning its design. One novelist, Guy de Maupassant, even claimed to eat lunch in the tower every day, because it was the only place in Paris where he couldn’t see the monument he hated so much.

So what do you think about this striking monument? Do you like it or hate it? Perhaps you have an interesting story or know a fact about the tower that we haven’t mentioned here. Please do share!